What makes Sonoma County one of the best destinations for visitors? It’s the warm welcome and friendly hospitality you get at local restaurants, shops, and inns; the relaxed, inclusive culture; and the strong community of farmers and artisans. Established in the Dry Creek Valley in 1890, Frei Brothers Sonoma Reserve has been crafting award-winning wines from Sonoma County grapes grown where they grow best for more than 125 years. Take a behind-the-scenes peek into the agricultural community that, like Frei Brothers Sonoma Reserve, is at the heart of Sonoma County.

There’s local, and then there’s local.

At some farmers’ markets in California, the produce is local in the sense that it does come from within the state. But much of it is brought in from the Central Valley or Southern California, says Janet Ciel, the market manager of the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market. In Healdsburg, however, nearly all the growers’ farms are no more than 15 miles from the market. “The person who’s standing in front of you selling the produce is the same one who grew it,” she says.

That person may be a descendant of one of the farmers who helped start the must-visit market—or have been farming for at least as long as the market has been around. “The secretary of the board, who grows spectacular fruit, vegetables, and cut flowers, is the daughter-in-law of one of the market’s founders,” says Ciel. “And many of the growers are salt-of-the-earth types in their 70s or even 80s who are still out there working their farms and picking their produce in the dark to get it to the market by early morning.”

Founded in 1978, the nonprofit, farmer-owned Healdsburg Farmers’ Market is one of the original 22 certified farmers’ markets in California. In addition to fruits and vegetables—many of which are organic and all of which are grown sustainably—you’ll find cheese, bread, wild-caught fish, honey, olive oil, vinegar, baked goods, fresh eggs, nuts, and pasture-finished meat. Vendors also sell prepared foods, cold-pressed juice, and high-quality handmade crafts, such as hand-thrown ceramics, one-of-a-kind jewelry, and bags sewn from upcycled kimonos.

On the other side of the stands, the patrons are a mix of locals doing their weekly shopping and visitors who have come to Healdsburg to experience the relaxed pace and rustic feel. “It’s remarkable how many locals love and support the farmers’ market,” says Ciel. “But on any given Saturday, I could ask a shopper where she’s from and hear, ‘Wisconsin,’ ‘Ohio,’ or somewhere even further away.”

Ciel—who’s also the producer of the Bodega Seafood, Art & Wine Festival, now in its 24th year, and co-owner with her husband of a bike shop in nearby Sebastopol—understands the allure of a farmers’ market. “I know when I travel, I usually stay in places with kitchens so that I can cook, and I’ll seek out farmers’ markets for exotic and interesting things I might not be able to find at home that I can prepare for dinner,” she says.

But visitors to the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market can do more than just stock up on fixings. “Our market is surrounded by grass and trees, and we have tables and live music, so it’s a beautiful place to just hang out,” says Ciel. And on Wednesday nights, patrons will soon be able to participate in wine tastings, something almost no other California farmers’ markets offer.

Those tastings are a nod to Healdsburg’s 100-plus vineyards, yet another feather in the region’s handcrafted cap. “Sonoma is an unbelievable agricultural region full of locavores,” says Ciel. “We just finished cherry season, and right now we have exceptional peaches, carrots, zucchini, and lettuces." Pears are just starting to show up, and come October, the grape harvest will be celebrated with Sonoma County Wine Month. "There’s really no other place like Healdsburg.”

The Healdsburg Farmers Market is open from 8:30 to noon from the first Saturday in May through November in the West Plaza Parking Lot at North and Vine streets, and from 4 to 7 p.m. from the first Wednesday in June through October in the Cerri/Purity Lot, also at North and Vine streets.

Due to the recent fires in Sonoma County, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler and Frei Brothers are committed to helping support the region. Here are two ways to help or donate, should you be compelled to: 1) American Red Cross and
2) Sonoma Community Foundation.